Ryan Seacrest Helps 'Wheel of Fortune' Hit Huge Ratings Milestone

Seacrest's 'Wheel of Fortune' debut was the show's highest-rated season premiere audience since 2015.

By Megan Behnke

Ryan Seacrest is officially on Wheel of Fortune, and he's given the show a big ratings win. Deadline reports, per Nielsen, that during the Season 41 premiere week ending Sept. 15, Wheel of Fortune saw its largest premiere week audience in five years. Additionally, Seacrest's debut episode on Sept. 9 was the game show's highest-rated season premiere audience since 2015, with a total of 9.63 million viewers, a big improvement from last season's premiere, which only had 5.68 million viewers.

Fans weighed in on Seacrest's Wheel debut, and while many were mixed about Pat Sajak's replacement, the majority of them were giving the American Idol host a chance. It will take some time to get used to him hosting, especially since no one can ever replace Sajak, but it seems like having Seacrest take over was the right decision. Things are a bit different on Wheel of Fortune aside from a new host, such as a new set, but it is interesting to see how well the show's doing in its new era.

Related:

It was revealed in June 2023 that Seacrest was tapped to be the new host of Wheel of Fortune after Sajak's retirement. There was no telling how it would go down, but it doesn't seem to be too bad. However, there have been reports that Seacrest and Vanna White weren't getting along too well behind the scenes. Just like for viewers, it might just take some time for White to get used to a new host. She and Sajak worked together for an awfully long time. It's hard to just get into the rhythm with someone completely new.

Wheel of Fortune has entered a new era, and while some people may not like that Ryan Seacrest is the new host, it's clearly working. It should be interesting to see if the ratings stay like this in the coming months as more people either start tuning in or start tuning out, depending on their preference. At the very least, if fans are missing Pat Sajak, they can always catch a rerun on TV or his final gig hosting Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on ABC's 2024 fall schedule. It was only a matter of time before Sajak retired, and even if fans had other choices for a replacement, it's a bit too late to get someone else.

Trending Now: